Explorations of the Potterverse
by septentrion
Summary: My drabbles in the Potterverse that aren't about the pairing Hermione/Severus. Different characters, pairings, situations and ratings.
1. Escaping his Fate: garden gnome

_Written for adventdrabble._

_Thanks to Dacian Goddess for beta-reading this._

_No money is made with this._

* * *

He ran, ran as quickly as his small legs would allow. His height put him at a distinct disadvantage: his pursuer was at least ten times taller than him, but he gave it his best shot. So he ran, through the hedge and across the meadow. He was getting breathless, and a stitch stabbed through his left side, yet he carried on running.

"I'll catch you," called out the redheaded boy who was chasing him.

That renewed his vigour. There was no way that he, a garden gnome, would spend Christmas painted in gold with a tutu and blue wings.


	2. Ageless: Harry and Luna

_Written for torino10154 and beta'ed by Dacian Goddess._

* * *

Luna didn't even have to turn her head to know who had joined her.

"Hi, Harry. How are you?"

"I' m fine, thanks. You?"

It was their annual ritual to meet there, in the moonlight.

"I'm fine, too. I'm going to be a great-grandmother."

Harry had a little smile. "For the fifth time. You've caught up with me."

"I don't feel ancient, though," she said dreamily.

"You're not." There was conviction in Harry's words; Luna was ageless.

"That's kind of you. But very soon, I'll be buried there." She was pointing her index finger at a spot near Dobby's grave.


	3. A Silvery Jumper: Ron and the Grey Lady

_This was written for madqueenmab and beta'ed by Dacian Goddess._

_I don't earn a knut in writing this._

* * *

"Grey Lady, wait!" Ron shouted.

The ghost stopped. "Yes?" she asked wearily.

"I've got something for you."

"What could you have for me?"

Ron held out a package wrapped in silvery, ghost-like paper.

"I have no need of a gift from you," the Grey Lady said dismissively.

"This one is special," Ron insisted. "My mum made it for you, and Hermione found a spell to make things touchable to ghosts."

The Grey Lady took the gift and unwrapped it: a silvery jumper with the letters GL on the front. Without a word, she put it on and glided away.


	4. Harry's Daydreams: Harry and Ginny

_Written for averygoodun. Beta'ed by Dacian Goddess._

_I make no profit in writing this._

* * *

"Harry, you're doing it again," Ginny complained loudly.

"What do you think I'm doing again?" Harry asked, annoyance clear in his voice.

"Daydreaming about Draco bloody Malfoy," she snapped.

"Ginny, you're wrong. Why would I daydream about Malfoy?"

She raised her voice. "Do you think me that dumb, Harry?"

"Shush, your family will hear." They were at the Burrow after all.

"I don't care!"

"Ginny! Please."

Several red heads had turned towards them already.

"You cheat on me," she said accusingly. "Every Friday."

Harry blanched: she knew.

"Now, if you invited me along…" she trailed off.

Harry blanched even more.


	5. How Lucius Didn't Keep His Hair

_Thanks to Melusin for the beta. Written for paya27 on LJ._

_I don't make money out of this._

* * *

"I want you to shave your hair off," the Dark Lord ordered Lucius. "It will make a perfect wig for me. I cannot take over the wizarding world looking like an overgrown newborn."

The blond man, rather shocked by the command, spluttered his answer. "Certainly, my Lord." You never say no to the Dark Lord, whatever your opinion. In fact, all Death Eaters had erased the word "no" and its variants from their thesauri. It didn't mean Lucius would let his carefully layered locks take residence on another head, however. He could regrow it with a spell, true, but regrown hair never had the same shine as the naturally one variety. Unthinkable.

"However, my Lord, I suggest that you delay your actions a little. My hair has a lot of split ends and is in need of treatment. You can't notice because I'm wearing a glamour."

There was no mistaking the disgust showing up on the Dark Lord's face. Split-ends? Unbearable. Nothing less than perfection would do. While his Death Eaters waited with bated breath for their Lord's decision, said Lord was deep in thought. After a while, he made his will known.

"Draco's hair is perfect, isn't it?" he asked Lucius, who nodded. "Fetch him."

"As you wish, my Lord. My son will be happy to contribute to the cause." Draco was younger, after all. Surely his hair would regrow faster and better than his own?

"And Lucius?"

Lucius stopped short. This could not be good. He dreaded what was to come. "Yes, my Lord?"

"Shave your head. It's uncouth for a Death Eater to tolerate such neglect on his person. I am persuaded that natural growth will heed better results than any treatment."


	6. He Should Have Known: Harry

_Thanks to Melusin for the quick beta. Written for m_mcgonagall_65._

_I make no money of it._

* * *

A man in his fifties stepped forth and threw two roses, red and yellow, into the magical fire blazing on the grave. Grief was deeply etched on his face. Harry wondered who he was. Hermione and Ron seemed as puzzled as him.

Later, they saw him with Flitwick. "I'm sorry for your loss, Charles," the diminutive teacher said, his eyes misty.

The stranger's voice was strangled. "Thank you, Filius. I know my wife was close to you. She treasured your friendship a lot."

A blush covered Harry's face. He'd known Professor McGonagall for decades and never knew she was married.


	7. Lone Tree: Minerva and Filius

_Written for adventdrabble._

_Thanks to Melusin for the fast beta._

* * *

"Only one tree?" Professor Flitwick squeaked. Hagrid usually brought at least six of them for the Great Hall.

"I know," Minerva McGonagall replied.

"How so? Is Hagrid unwell? This is so unlike him."

Minerva sighed. "When I asked him, he answered, rather tersely I might add, that he was fine. He also grumbled something about his brother trampling over the best Christmas trees in the forest."

"One tree isn't enough for the great Hall! It'll look bare." The Charms teacher was devastated.

"I agree." Minerva contemplated the lone tree and the twenty boxes of ornaments. "I suppose we'll make do."


	8. Harry's Friend: Harry

_Thanks to Melusin for the fast beta._

_This was written for adventdrabbles and I make no profit off it._

* * *

Yellow, red, orange. Incessant crackling. Mesmerising.

Harry had been watching the fireplace for the last hour, undisturbed. Most of his house mates had gone home for the holidays, leaving him alone in Gryffindor tower. Yet he did not feel lonely. Not tonight when the fire created dancing shadows around him—warm shadows of all shapes that took him in their loving embrace.

A contented sigh escaped his lips.

He barely noticed.

Gradually, his eyelids drooped. Harry snuggled deeper into the sofa he was sitting on. Comforted by the soothing noises of the fire, cradled in its warmth, he fell asleep.


	9. Angelic Humiliation: Hermione

_Thanks to Melusin for the super fast beta._

_This was written for adventdrabble._

* * *

When Hermione was a little girl, she was once chosen to play the angel's part in the school Nativity play. With the part went a pretty costume: a silvery robe, white – a bit grey on the edges, though – wings and a starry halo. She had been so happy and so proud to land such a pretty outfit, even prettier than the Virgin Mary's.

Her happiness lasted until she heard a teacher explain to another that, "She was the only one with the hair fit to hold the halo in place."

Her wings were black when she showed up on stage.


End file.
